As the Crow Flies

Ready or Not

Dream sat in the far corner of the cell near the chest of journals. His eyes were heavy and his mouth was dry. He thought about going over to the sink to wash his face and quench his thirst, but he was too exhausted to move. Instead, he sat back and listened to the steady drip of crying obsidian and the low hum of the lava at his cell door. He used to sway to the rhythmic ticking of a clock, but Sam refused to give him a new one.

He felt a drop of blood run down the side of his brow and fall from his cheek down to the dark obsidian floor. Quackity had been extra rough today. It started with fists and progressed to shears. Dream looked down at his hands. His fingers were covered in his own blood. The skin around the nails was loose and raw. He sat with his wrists rested on top of his knees to make sure that he avoided accidentally grazing the open wounds.

Dream kept his eyes on the lava and focused on its steady flow. Even though he was sat at the far end of the cell, he could still feel its heat. His clothes stuck to his body, sweat stained and torn. Sam hadn't given him a new laundered jumpsuit in days. It made sense. He probably had to throw out the ones with scorch marks, sew the ones that ripped, and he probably had to buy some really special detergent for all the blood stains.

Just as Dream was about to doze off, he heard the sound of levers being pulled. He lifted his head from the wall and anticipated the end of the lava flow. He was almost certain that Sam had banned anyone from visiting him since Tommy's death besides Quackity. Was Quackity coming back for a second session? Dream wasn't sure how long he could keep this up especially if he was forced to endure two sessions of torture a day. The lava curtain slowly lowered itself to reveal one figure on the other end. It wasn't Quackity and there was no sign of Sam. Ranboo, purple-eyed and stiff stood there, obedient as ever. Dream smiled. The message worked.

Ranboo walked off to the side and was out of sight for a moment before Dream heard the sound of another lever being pulled and the automated bridge was sent to him. Dream gritted his teeth and tried pulling himself up off the floor, but his muscles were weak and his legs felt like jelly. He clutched his side as pain erupted from where Quackity had broken a rib. He coughed and hissed at the pain in his fingers. Black and white spots danced across his vision. He wasn't going to let himself pass out. Not when he was this close.

He spotted Ranboo on the other side of the lava lake waiting for him. The guy's endersleep was unpredictable to say the least. He could come out of it at any moment. Dream took a few deep breaths and stood up, placing all of his weight onto the wall. He glanced at the platform. It was probably ten steps away. He placed his right hand on the chest and used it as a crutch. Then did the same with the podium and the sink. Only six more steps to the platform. Six more steps and he'd be free.

Dream took in a shaky breath to prepare himself, then let go of the sink's edge. It was fast. He stumbled quickly, like a fawn learning to walk for the first time. When he made it to the platform, the small amount of strength he had left vanished and he fell. He breathed a sigh of relief as the black and white dots flooded his vision in a speckled frenzy. He could've laughed and laughed as the mechanical platform carried him above the bubbling lava to freedom, but his throat was too dry and his lungs were too weak.

"Ready or not."